Where to Get Your Star Wars Fix in Iceland

If you’re reaching almost Ewok levels of squeaky-voiced excitement about J.J. Abrams’ long-awaited Star Wars: The Force Awakens (in cinemas from 17 December), then you’ll probably know that many scenes from the movie showcase Iceland.

Which just so happens to be one of our favourite countries.

So as if you needed yetanother reason to visit this otherworldly place, here’s where to head in Iceland to get your Star Wars fix:

Eyjafjallajökull

Remember when flights were backed up for weeks in 2010, because an unpronounceable Icelandic volcano erupted? This is the one. (You can practice the Icelandic pronunciation here: it’s even more difficult than it looks.) Today, Eyjafja-whatever is dormant, meaning the ice cap that covers its spectacular crater is back in place. Star Wars’ very own Chewbacca and Stormtroopers were seen filming on the impressive glaciers that creak down from its 1651-metre summit.

Where: Around 120km east of Reykjavik, just off the main Ring Road.

What to do: Between April and September, hike to the summit: if (and that’s a big if) you can face carrying skis all the way up, it’s possible to ski back down. Feeling lazy? Jeep tours take you across glacier rivers and through canyons lined with waterfalls.

Myvatn

An eerily flat landscape studded with volcanic rock formations spreads out around Lake Myvatn, whose miniature islands mimic tiny volcanoes. Craters, lava caves and lava fields twisted into bizarre shapes make this great hiking territory, while in winter mud pits and fumaroles bubble steam against pristine snow and ice. The 818-metre Krafla volcano, with its crater “hell” lake, is one of Iceland’s most active, and features in The Force Awakens.

Where: Myvatn is almost 500k from Reykjavik, heading north on the Ring Road; it’s rather closer to Akureyri, North Iceland’s capital, which has a domestic airport.

What to do: In winter, snowshoe, cross-country ski or head out in search of the Northern Lights. Come summer, there’s fishing and world-class bird-watching. You can swim in geothermal pools, bathe in the stunning Grjótagjá cave and hike through turbulent volcanic landscapes all year round.

Mýrdalssandur

Star Wars spin-off Rogue One, released in December next year, will be the first in the Star Wars Anthology series, covering the group of Resistance fighters who steal the Death Star plans. They’ve been filming in the eerie, black lava-sand desert of Mýrdalssandur, fed by the Mýrdalsjökull glacier, which creeps down from the Katla volcano.

Where: Around 200km east of Reykjavik on the Ring Road.

What to do: Wander around Vík, Iceland’s southernmost village; hike the glacier and the volcano; admire the bizarre rock formations on Reynisfjara beach. Between May and September, brave a tandem paraglide.

Darth Vader Street

Reykjavik’s last mayor liked to dress up as Obi-Wan Kenobi. The current mayor, not to be outdone, has renamed a street after Darth Vader. Svarthöfði means Black Cape, the former Anakin Skywalker’s name in Icelandic; house numbers follow the approved Star Wars style of 4, 5, 6, 1, 2, 3.

Where: Höfði, an insustrial district of Reykjavik.

What to do: There’s not a lot on offer on Darth Vader Street itself as yet, but Reykjavik offers food and fun aplenty, as well as arguably the world’s hardest drinkers. April to October is peak whale watching season: some operators offer a second tour free if you don’t see a whale on your first.

And while you’re out there, why not head to….

Svínafellsjökull

Remember the ice planet in Interstellar? That was filmed at Svínafellsjökull, an eerie, other-wordly glacier an hour and a half’s drive past Mýrdalssandur. It’s arguably Iceland’s most dramatic glacier hike – always, but always, go with a guide – and many tours take you inside dazzling blue ice tunnels and caves.